more memory ?

Hello,

I have a Toshiba laptop with 2Gb Ram, running Vista. I have no major
problems, but my pc does seem to take a long time to start up and to load /
run large files, and sometimes seems to go into a coma. I use CCleaner and
Defraggler, and I uninstall/delete anything that I dont need. But my pc does
seem to be struggling sometimes.

I could add another 2Gb Ram, or I could upgrade to Windows 7 (which I read
has much lower overheads ?? ) . Or perhaps I should buy a new PC ?

My question is, how do I decide what the best route is ??

Thanks for all ideas

KK

On Wed, 3 Feb 2010 13:58:20 -0000, "KRK"
<> wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I have a Toshiba laptop with 2Gb Ram, running Vista. I have no major
> problems, but my pc does seem to take a long time to start up


My personal view is that the attention many people pay to how long it
takes to boot is unwarranted. Assuming that the computer's speed is
otherwise satisfactory, it is not generally worth worrying about. Most
people start their computers once a day or even less frequently. In
the overall scheme of things, even a few minutes to start up isn't
very important. Personally I power on my computer when I get up in the
morning, then go get my coffee. When I come back, it's done booting. I
don't know how long it took to boot and I don't care.

However if you do want to address it, it may be because of what
programs start automatically, and you may want to stop some of them
from starting that way. On each program you don't want to start
automatically, check its Options to see if it has the choice not to
start (make sure you actually choose the option not to run it, not
just a "don't show icon" option). Many can easily and best be stopped
that way. If that doesn't work, run MSCONFIG from the Start | Run
line, and on the Startup tab, uncheck the programs you don't want to
start automatically.

However, if I were you, I wouldn't do this just for the purpose of
running the minimum number of programs. Despite what many people tell
you, you should be concerned, not with how *many* of these programs
you run, but *which*. Some of them can hurt performance severely, but
others have no effect on performance.

Don't just stop programs from running willy-nilly. What you should do
is determine what each program is, what its value is to you, and what
the cost in performance is of its running all the time. You can get
more information about these with google searches and asking about
specifics here.

Once you have that information, you can make an intelligent informed
decision about what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of.



> and to load /
> run large files, and sometimes seems to go into a coma.


To me, those are much more significant issues.


> I use CCleaner and


What do you do with CCleaner? In my view, it's a good program as long
as you do *not* use its registry cleaning feature.

Registry cleaning programs are *all* snake oil. Cleaning of the
registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry alone and
don't use any registry cleaner. Despite what many people think, and
what vendors of registry cleaning software try to convince you of,
having unused registry entries doesn't really hurt you.

The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit
it may have.

Read http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000643.html


> Defraggler, and I uninstall/delete anything that I dont need. But my pc does
> seem to be struggling sometimes.
>
> I could add another 2Gb Ram,


How much RAM you need for good performance is *not* a
one-size-fits-all situation. You get good performance if the amount of
RAM you have keeps you from using the page file significantly, and
that depends on what apps you run. Most people running a typical range
of business applications under XP find that somewhere around 512MB
works well, others need more. Almost anyone will see poor performance
with less than 256MB. Some people, particularly those doing things
like editing large photographic images, can see a performance boost by
adding even more than 512MB--sometimes much more.

If you are currently using the page file significantly, more memory
will decrease or eliminate that usage, and improve your performance.
If you are not using the page file significantly, more memory will do
nothing for you. Go to
http://billsway.com/notes%5Fpublic/winxp%5Ftweaks/ and download
WinXP-2K_Pagefile.zip and monitor your page file usage. That should
give you a good idea of whether more memory can help, and if so, how
much more.



> or I could upgrade to Windows 7 (which I read
> has much lower overheads ?? ) .



The worst time to do an upgrade is when you are having problems. With
problems, upgrading is more likely to exacerbate the problems than to
cure them.



> Or perhaps I should buy a new PC ?


Wow! That's a very extreme step to take. Although it would probably
solve your problem, my guess is that, since you wouldn't know what
caused the problem, you would quickly repeat the behavior that caused
it and find yourself back where you started.


> My question is, how do I decide what the best route is ??


Perhaps the most common cause of poor performance these days is
malware infection, and your first step should be to make sure you are
not infected. What anti-virus and anti-spyware programs do you run?
Are they kept up to date?

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

"KRK" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Hello,
>
> I have a Toshiba laptop with 2Gb Ram, running Vista. I have no major
> problems, but my pc does seem to take a long time to start up and to load
> / run large files, and sometimes seems to go into a coma. I use CCleaner
> and Defraggler, and I uninstall/delete anything that I dont need. But my
> pc does seem to be struggling sometimes.
>
> I could add another 2Gb Ram, or I could upgrade to Windows 7 (which I read
> has much lower overheads ?? ) . Or perhaps I should buy a new PC ?
>
> My question is, how do I decide what the best route is ??
>
> Thanks for all ideas
>
> KK

32 or 64 bit hardware/OS?
If you're running 32 bit Vista (or any other OS, for that matter), there's
no point adding more than one additional gig of memory because it won't be
used.

New PC? Hard to say because your current hardware specs are not stated. For
example, if you currently have a Core2 CPU (or equivalent), you already have
a good foundation and 1 extra gig plus Win 7 (or 2 more Gig and Win 7 x64)
would make sense to me.
OTOH, if you have an obsolete CPU from the Pentium family (again, or
equivalent), I'd consider replacing the laptop with a Core2 Duo box, 64 bit
Win 7 and 4 Gig (all of which you can use w/ 64 bit OS).

what you can try is to
initiate a clean boot.

if disabling third party
services and third party
program improves the
performance of windows,

then you likely have found
the bottle neck.

--
db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces
- @Hotmail.com
- nntp Postologist
~ "share the nirvana" - dbZen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>

"KRK" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Hello,
>
> I have a Toshiba laptop with 2Gb Ram, running Vista. I have no major
> problems, but my pc does seem to take a long time to start up and to load
> / run large files, and sometimes seems to go into a coma. I use CCleaner
> and Defraggler, and I uninstall/delete anything that I dont need. But my
> pc does seem to be struggling sometimes.
>
> I could add another 2Gb Ram, or I could upgrade to Windows 7 (which I read
> has much lower overheads ?? ) . Or perhaps I should buy a new PC ?
>
> My question is, how do I decide what the best route is ??
>
> Thanks for all ideas
>
> KK

Ken,
I'd have to disagree on the CCleaner.exe
It's a awesome registry cleaner you should check it out.

And if they get a new laptop with Win7
The sleep mode works great with laptops
I hardly ever shut mine off.
I close the lid, open it, in seconds I get my login prompt put in my
password and I'm good to go.

Also win7 will boot faster.
However "UPGRADE" Doesn't solve many issues
Probably too much #@$#$ loaded
on startup like Updates and toolbars (How many toolbars does one need?)

Russ

--
Russell Grover - SBITS.Biz [SBS-MVP]
Microsoft Gold Certified Partner
Microsoft Certified Small Business Specialist
24hr SBS Remote Support - www.SBITS.Biz
Need A Second Opinion? www.PersonalITConsultant.com
Free Trial Microsoft Online Services - www.Microsoft-Online-Services.com


"Ken Blake, MVP" <> wrote in message
news:...
> On Wed, 3 Feb 2010 13:58:20 -0000, "KRK"
> <> wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I have a Toshiba laptop with 2Gb Ram, running Vista. I have no major
>> problems, but my pc does seem to take a long time to start up
>
>
> My personal view is that the attention many people pay to how long it
> takes to boot is unwarranted. Assuming that the computer's speed is
> otherwise satisfactory, it is not generally worth worrying about. Most
> people start their computers once a day or even less frequently. In
> the overall scheme of things, even a few minutes to start up isn't
> very important. Personally I power on my computer when I get up in the
> morning, then go get my coffee. When I come back, it's done booting. I
> don't know how long it took to boot and I don't care.
>
> However if you do want to address it, it may be because of what
> programs start automatically, and you may want to stop some of them
> from starting that way. On each program you don't want to start
> automatically, check its Options to see if it has the choice not to
> start (make sure you actually choose the option not to run it, not
> just a "don't show icon" option). Many can easily and best be stopped
> that way. If that doesn't work, run MSCONFIG from the Start | Run
> line, and on the Startup tab, uncheck the programs you don't want to
> start automatically.
>
> However, if I were you, I wouldn't do this just for the purpose of
> running the minimum number of programs. Despite what many people tell
> you, you should be concerned, not with how *many* of these programs
> you run, but *which*. Some of them can hurt performance severely, but
> others have no effect on performance.
>
> Don't just stop programs from running willy-nilly. What you should do
> is determine what each program is, what its value is to you, and what
> the cost in performance is of its running all the time. You can get
> more information about these with google searches and asking about
> specifics here.
>
> Once you have that information, you can make an intelligent informed
> decision about what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of.
>
>
>
>> and to load /
>> run large files, and sometimes seems to go into a coma.
>
>
> To me, those are much more significant issues.
>
>
>> I use CCleaner and
>
>
> What do you do with CCleaner? In my view, it's a good program as long
> as you do *not* use its registry cleaning feature.
>
> Registry cleaning programs are *all* snake oil. Cleaning of the
> registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry alone and
> don't use any registry cleaner. Despite what many people think, and
> what vendors of registry cleaning software try to convince you of,
> having unused registry entries doesn't really hurt you.
>
> The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
> removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit
> it may have.
>
> Read http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000643.html
>
>
>> Defraggler, and I uninstall/delete anything that I dont need. But my pc
>> does
>> seem to be struggling sometimes.
>>
>> I could add another 2Gb Ram,
>
>
> How much RAM you need for good performance is *not* a
> one-size-fits-all situation. You get good performance if the amount of
> RAM you have keeps you from using the page file significantly, and
> that depends on what apps you run. Most people running a typical range
> of business applications under XP find that somewhere around 512MB
> works well, others need more. Almost anyone will see poor performance
> with less than 256MB. Some people, particularly those doing things
> like editing large photographic images, can see a performance boost by
> adding even more than 512MB--sometimes much more.
>
> If you are currently using the page file significantly, more memory
> will decrease or eliminate that usage, and improve your performance.
> If you are not using the page file significantly, more memory will do
> nothing for you. Go to
> http://billsway.com/notes%5Fpublic/winxp%5Ftweaks/ and download
> WinXP-2K_Pagefile.zip and monitor your page file usage. That should
> give you a good idea of whether more memory can help, and if so, how
> much more.
>
>
>
>> or I could upgrade to Windows 7 (which I read
>> has much lower overheads ?? ) .
>
>
>
> The worst time to do an upgrade is when you are having problems. With
> problems, upgrading is more likely to exacerbate the problems than to
> cure them.
>
>
>
>> Or perhaps I should buy a new PC ?
>
>
> Wow! That's a very extreme step to take. Although it would probably
> solve your problem, my guess is that, since you wouldn't know what
> caused the problem, you would quickly repeat the behavior that caused
> it and find yourself back where you started.
>
>
>> My question is, how do I decide what the best route is ??
>
>
> Perhaps the most common cause of poor performance these days is
> malware infection, and your first step should be to make sure you are
> not infected. What anti-virus and anti-spyware programs do you run?
> Are they kept up to date?
>
> --
> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
> Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Thanks for the help. I do use ccleaner to clean the registry & have had no
problems, but will take your advice. I'll check out the pagefile thing (I
have no idea what a pagefile is but will try the link you sent. )

Thanks again

KK


"Ken Blake, MVP" <> wrote in message
news:...
> On Wed, 3 Feb 2010 13:58:20 -0000, "KRK"
> <> wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I have a Toshiba laptop with 2Gb Ram, running Vista. I have no major
>> problems, but my pc does seem to take a long time to start up
>
>
> My personal view is that the attention many people pay to how long it
> takes to boot is unwarranted. Assuming that the computer's speed is
> otherwise satisfactory, it is not generally worth worrying about. Most
> people start their computers once a day or even less frequently. In
> the overall scheme of things, even a few minutes to start up isn't
> very important. Personally I power on my computer when I get up in the
> morning, then go get my coffee. When I come back, it's done booting. I
> don't know how long it took to boot and I don't care.
>
> However if you do want to address it, it may be because of what
> programs start automatically, and you may want to stop some of them
> from starting that way. On each program you don't want to start
> automatically, check its Options to see if it has the choice not to
> start (make sure you actually choose the option not to run it, not
> just a "don't show icon" option). Many can easily and best be stopped
> that way. If that doesn't work, run MSCONFIG from the Start | Run
> line, and on the Startup tab, uncheck the programs you don't want to
> start automatically.
>
> However, if I were you, I wouldn't do this just for the purpose of
> running the minimum number of programs. Despite what many people tell
> you, you should be concerned, not with how *many* of these programs
> you run, but *which*. Some of them can hurt performance severely, but
> others have no effect on performance.
>
> Don't just stop programs from running willy-nilly. What you should do
> is determine what each program is, what its value is to you, and what
> the cost in performance is of its running all the time. You can get
> more information about these with google searches and asking about
> specifics here.
>
> Once you have that information, you can make an intelligent informed
> decision about what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of.
>
>
>
>> and to load /
>> run large files, and sometimes seems to go into a coma.
>
>
> To me, those are much more significant issues.
>
>
>> I use CCleaner and
>
>
> What do you do with CCleaner? In my view, it's a good program as long
> as you do *not* use its registry cleaning feature.
>
> Registry cleaning programs are *all* snake oil. Cleaning of the
> registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry alone and
> don't use any registry cleaner. Despite what many people think, and
> what vendors of registry cleaning software try to convince you of,
> having unused registry entries doesn't really hurt you.
>
> The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
> removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit
> it may have.
>
> Read http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000643.html
>
>
>> Defraggler, and I uninstall/delete anything that I dont need. But my pc
>> does
>> seem to be struggling sometimes.
>>
>> I could add another 2Gb Ram,
>
>
> How much RAM you need for good performance is *not* a
> one-size-fits-all situation. You get good performance if the amount of
> RAM you have keeps you from using the page file significantly, and
> that depends on what apps you run. Most people running a typical range
> of business applications under XP find that somewhere around 512MB
> works well, others need more. Almost anyone will see poor performance
> with less than 256MB. Some people, particularly those doing things
> like editing large photographic images, can see a performance boost by
> adding even more than 512MB--sometimes much more.
>
> If you are currently using the page file significantly, more memory
> will decrease or eliminate that usage, and improve your performance.
> If you are not using the page file significantly, more memory will do
> nothing for you. Go to
> http://billsway.com/notes%5Fpublic/winxp%5Ftweaks/ and download
> WinXP-2K_Pagefile.zip and monitor your page file usage. That should
> give you a good idea of whether more memory can help, and if so, how
> much more.
>
>
>
>> or I could upgrade to Windows 7 (which I read
>> has much lower overheads ?? ) .
>
>
>
> The worst time to do an upgrade is when you are having problems. With
> problems, upgrading is more likely to exacerbate the problems than to
> cure them.
>
>
>
>> Or perhaps I should buy a new PC ?
>
>
> Wow! That's a very extreme step to take. Although it would probably
> solve your problem, my guess is that, since you wouldn't know what
> caused the problem, you would quickly repeat the behavior that caused
> it and find yourself back where you started.
>
>
>> My question is, how do I decide what the best route is ??
>
>
> Perhaps the most common cause of poor performance these days is
> malware infection, and your first step should be to make sure you are
> not infected. What anti-virus and anti-spyware programs do you run?
> Are they kept up to date?
>
> --
> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
> Please Reply to the Newsgroup

On Thu, 4 Feb 2010 12:30:35 -0000, "KRK"
<> wrote:

>Thanks for the help. I do use ccleaner to clean the registry & have had no
>problems, but will take your advice. I'll check out the pagefile thing (I
>have no idea what a pagefile is but will try the link you sent. )
>

Check into what is starting up on your system. Not just the startup
folder, but including the items started by hidden registry keys. If
you don't know how to find those items, you can install this program
and get a "Start Up" icon in control panel that's easy to use.
http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml

Be careful what you disable. Google items you are not sure about and
disable, rather than delete them. Work slowly. Toshiba has a raft of
useless programs they install on your system. Shutting them down will
help along with all the other processes that think they should be
running when you boot or log on (like every piece of software you
install). Some applications that come to mind are MS Office, Adobe
anything, Itunes, Apple/Quicktime updates, Java update, video card
utilities, etc. There are lots more. Very few of these applications
actually need to be running before you specifically call on them.

You can also disable a variety of processes via services.msc - that's
advanced topics. You want to be careful what you disable... Google or
ask before dissembling or changing a process to manual start. But,
there are a number that you don't need running.

Remove Norton. It's a pig. Install Avast. Get the special un install
program from Norton's site to extract it properly from your system.

If you have shared network drives, set the network cards in Device
Manager to not power off and to maximum performance in power
management for whatever packages you use.

All that said, the specific lull issue may be Vista, not you. I run a
very clean ship, with plenty of memory, and I have a Vista machine
that goes into lulls. Vista has issues.

On Wed, 3 Feb 2010 23:10:37 -0800, "Russ SBITS.Biz [SBS-MVP]"
<> wrote:

> Ken,
> I'd have to disagree on the CCleaner.exe
> It's a awesome registry cleaner you should check it out.


You have a right to your opinion, but it's one that I strongly
disagree with.

Yes, it's somewhat safer than most of the others, but it is *not*
risk-free. Moreover taking any risk for something as useless as
registry cleaning is a very bad bargain.



> And if they get a new laptop with Win7
> The sleep mode works great with laptops
> I hardly ever shut mine off.
> I close the lid, open it, in seconds I get my login prompt put in my
> password and I'm good to go.
>
> Also win7 will boot faster.
> However "UPGRADE" Doesn't solve many issues
> Probably too much #@$#$ loaded
> on startup like Updates and toolbars (How many toolbars does one need?)
>
> Russ
>
> --
> Russell Grover - SBITS.Biz [SBS-MVP]
> Microsoft Gold Certified Partner
> Microsoft Certified Small Business Specialist
> 24hr SBS Remote Support - www.SBITS.Biz
> Need A Second Opinion? www.PersonalITConsultant.com
> Free Trial Microsoft Online Services - www.Microsoft-Online-Services.com
>
>
> "Ken Blake, MVP" <> wrote in message
> news:...
> > On Wed, 3 Feb 2010 13:58:20 -0000, "KRK"
> > <> wrote:
> >
> >> Hello,
> >>
> >> I have a Toshiba laptop with 2Gb Ram, running Vista. I have no major
> >> problems, but my pc does seem to take a long time to start up
> >
> >
> > My personal view is that the attention many people pay to how long it
> > takes to boot is unwarranted. Assuming that the computer's speed is
> > otherwise satisfactory, it is not generally worth worrying about. Most
> > people start their computers once a day or even less frequently. In
> > the overall scheme of things, even a few minutes to start up isn't
> > very important. Personally I power on my computer when I get up in the
> > morning, then go get my coffee. When I come back, it's done booting. I
> > don't know how long it took to boot and I don't care.
> >
> > However if you do want to address it, it may be because of what
> > programs start automatically, and you may want to stop some of them
> > from starting that way. On each program you don't want to start
> > automatically, check its Options to see if it has the choice not to
> > start (make sure you actually choose the option not to run it, not
> > just a "don't show icon" option). Many can easily and best be stopped
> > that way. If that doesn't work, run MSCONFIG from the Start | Run
> > line, and on the Startup tab, uncheck the programs you don't want to
> > start automatically.
> >
> > However, if I were you, I wouldn't do this just for the purpose of
> > running the minimum number of programs. Despite what many people tell
> > you, you should be concerned, not with how *many* of these programs
> > you run, but *which*. Some of them can hurt performance severely, but
> > others have no effect on performance.
> >
> > Don't just stop programs from running willy-nilly. What you should do
> > is determine what each program is, what its value is to you, and what
> > the cost in performance is of its running all the time. You can get
> > more information about these with google searches and asking about
> > specifics here.
> >
> > Once you have that information, you can make an intelligent informed
> > decision about what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of.
> >
> >
> >
> >> and to load /
> >> run large files, and sometimes seems to go into a coma.
> >
> >
> > To me, those are much more significant issues.
> >
> >
> >> I use CCleaner and
> >
> >
> > What do you do with CCleaner? In my view, it's a good program as long
> > as you do *not* use its registry cleaning feature.
> >
> > Registry cleaning programs are *all* snake oil. Cleaning of the
> > registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry alone and
> > don't use any registry cleaner. Despite what many people think, and
> > what vendors of registry cleaning software try to convince you of,
> > having unused registry entries doesn't really hurt you.
> >
> > The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
> > removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit
> > it may have.
> >
> > Read http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000643.html
> >
> >
> >> Defraggler, and I uninstall/delete anything that I dont need. But my pc
> >> does
> >> seem to be struggling sometimes.
> >>
> >> I could add another 2Gb Ram,
> >
> >
> > How much RAM you need for good performance is *not* a
> > one-size-fits-all situation. You get good performance if the amount of
> > RAM you have keeps you from using the page file significantly, and
> > that depends on what apps you run. Most people running a typical range
> > of business applications under XP find that somewhere around 512MB
> > works well, others need more. Almost anyone will see poor performance
> > with less than 256MB. Some people, particularly those doing things
> > like editing large photographic images, can see a performance boost by
> > adding even more than 512MB--sometimes much more.
> >
> > If you are currently using the page file significantly, more memory
> > will decrease or eliminate that usage, and improve your performance.
> > If you are not using the page file significantly, more memory will do
> > nothing for you. Go to
> > http://billsway.com/notes%5Fpublic/winxp%5Ftweaks/ and download
> > WinXP-2K_Pagefile.zip and monitor your page file usage. That should
> > give you a good idea of whether more memory can help, and if so, how
> > much more.
> >
> >
> >
> >> or I could upgrade to Windows 7 (which I read
> >> has much lower overheads ?? ) .
> >
> >
> >
> > The worst time to do an upgrade is when you are having problems. With
> > problems, upgrading is more likely to exacerbate the problems than to
> > cure them.
> >
> >
> >
> >> Or perhaps I should buy a new PC ?
> >
> >
> > Wow! That's a very extreme step to take. Although it would probably
> > solve your problem, my guess is that, since you wouldn't know what
> > caused the problem, you would quickly repeat the behavior that caused
> > it and find yourself back where you started.
> >
> >
> >> My question is, how do I decide what the best route is ??
> >
> >
> > Perhaps the most common cause of poor performance these days is
> > malware infection, and your first step should be to make sure you are
> > not infected. What anti-virus and anti-spyware programs do you run?
> > Are they kept up to date?
> >
> > --
> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

On Thu, 4 Feb 2010 12:30:35 -0000, "KRK"
<> wrote:

> Thanks for the help. I do use ccleaner to clean the registry & have had no
> problems,


Most of the time, when you use ccleaner, or any other registry
cleaner, it doesn't cause problems. None of us who recommend against
them will tell you that it always causes problems. Rather, it
increases the *risk* of problems. And since it does nothing useful,
it's a very bad bargain.

If you've never had a problem with it, consider yourself lucky.


> but will take your advice.


Good.


> I'll check out the pagefile thing (I
> have no idea what a pagefile is


The page file is a part of your hard drive that is used like memory
(RAM) when you don't have enough RAM. It's slower than RAM (because
it's mechanical, not just electronic), but it lets you run something
that you otherwise couldn't because there isn't enough RAM.

So the value of having more RAM is that the system will use the
mechanical pagefile in place of RAM less frequently or not at all. But
the value of adding more RAM exists only if your mix of applications
needs more RAM than you currently have, so the page file is used. If
the page file isn't being used, more RAM does nothing for you.


> but will try the link you sent. )


Good.


> Thanks again


You're welcome. Glad to help.



> "Ken Blake, MVP" <> wrote in message
> news:...
> > On Wed, 3 Feb 2010 13:58:20 -0000, "KRK"
> > <> wrote:
> >
> >> Hello,
> >>
> >> I have a Toshiba laptop with 2Gb Ram, running Vista. I have no major
> >> problems, but my pc does seem to take a long time to start up
> >
> >
> > My personal view is that the attention many people pay to how long it
> > takes to boot is unwarranted. Assuming that the computer's speed is
> > otherwise satisfactory, it is not generally worth worrying about. Most
> > people start their computers once a day or even less frequently. In
> > the overall scheme of things, even a few minutes to start up isn't
> > very important. Personally I power on my computer when I get up in the
> > morning, then go get my coffee. When I come back, it's done booting. I
> > don't know how long it took to boot and I don't care.
> >
> > However if you do want to address it, it may be because of what
> > programs start automatically, and you may want to stop some of them
> > from starting that way. On each program you don't want to start
> > automatically, check its Options to see if it has the choice not to
> > start (make sure you actually choose the option not to run it, not
> > just a "don't show icon" option). Many can easily and best be stopped
> > that way. If that doesn't work, run MSCONFIG from the Start | Run
> > line, and on the Startup tab, uncheck the programs you don't want to
> > start automatically.
> >
> > However, if I were you, I wouldn't do this just for the purpose of
> > running the minimum number of programs. Despite what many people tell
> > you, you should be concerned, not with how *many* of these programs
> > you run, but *which*. Some of them can hurt performance severely, but
> > others have no effect on performance.
> >
> > Don't just stop programs from running willy-nilly. What you should do
> > is determine what each program is, what its value is to you, and what
> > the cost in performance is of its running all the time. You can get
> > more information about these with google searches and asking about
> > specifics here.
> >
> > Once you have that information, you can make an intelligent informed
> > decision about what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of.
> >
> >
> >
> >> and to load /
> >> run large files, and sometimes seems to go into a coma.
> >
> >
> > To me, those are much more significant issues.
> >
> >
> >> I use CCleaner and
> >
> >
> > What do you do with CCleaner? In my view, it's a good program as long
> > as you do *not* use its registry cleaning feature.
> >
> > Registry cleaning programs are *all* snake oil. Cleaning of the
> > registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry alone and
> > don't use any registry cleaner. Despite what many people think, and
> > what vendors of registry cleaning software try to convince you of,
> > having unused registry entries doesn't really hurt you.
> >
> > The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
> > removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit
> > it may have.
> >
> > Read http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000643.html
> >
> >
> >> Defraggler, and I uninstall/delete anything that I dont need. But my pc
> >> does
> >> seem to be struggling sometimes.
> >>
> >> I could add another 2Gb Ram,
> >
> >
> > How much RAM you need for good performance is *not* a
> > one-size-fits-all situation. You get good performance if the amount of
> > RAM you have keeps you from using the page file significantly, and
> > that depends on what apps you run. Most people running a typical range
> > of business applications under XP find that somewhere around 512MB
> > works well, others need more. Almost anyone will see poor performance
> > with less than 256MB. Some people, particularly those doing things
> > like editing large photographic images, can see a performance boost by
> > adding even more than 512MB--sometimes much more.
> >
> > If you are currently using the page file significantly, more memory
> > will decrease or eliminate that usage, and improve your performance.
> > If you are not using the page file significantly, more memory will do
> > nothing for you. Go to
> > http://billsway.com/notes%5Fpublic/winxp%5Ftweaks/ and download
> > WinXP-2K_Pagefile.zip and monitor your page file usage. That should
> > give you a good idea of whether more memory can help, and if so, how
> > much more.
> >
> >
> >
> >> or I could upgrade to Windows 7 (which I read
> >> has much lower overheads ?? ) .
> >
> >
> >
> > The worst time to do an upgrade is when you are having problems. With
> > problems, upgrading is more likely to exacerbate the problems than to
> > cure them.
> >
> >
> >
> >> Or perhaps I should buy a new PC ?
> >
> >
> > Wow! That's a very extreme step to take. Although it would probably
> > solve your problem, my guess is that, since you wouldn't know what
> > caused the problem, you would quickly repeat the behavior that caused
> > it and find yourself back where you started.
> >
> >
> >> My question is, how do I decide what the best route is ??
> >
> >
> > Perhaps the most common cause of poor performance these days is
> > malware infection, and your first step should be to make sure you are
> > not infected. What anti-virus and anti-spyware programs do you run?
> > Are they kept up to date?
> >
> > --
> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Hi & sorry to have to interrupt again,

You recommended

>> > http://billsway.com/notes%5Fpublic/winxp%5Ftweaks/
>> > WinXP-2K_Pagefile.zip

to monitor my pagefile. The site seems to be only for xp & Win2000, I run
Vista.

I tried to download the zip file anyway, & could not find an exe file or
similar, just some vbs files (I dont know what these are) and a text file
that I read and did not understand.

Sorry to be a pain, but I'm not a windows professional & I dont understand
what I'm supposed to do next.

KK





"Ken Blake, MVP" <> wrote in message
news:...
> On Wed, 3 Feb 2010 23:10:37 -0800, "Russ SBITS.Biz [SBS-MVP]"
> <> wrote:
>
>> Ken,
>> I'd have to disagree on the CCleaner.exe
>> It's a awesome registry cleaner you should check it out.
>
>
> You have a right to your opinion, but it's one that I strongly
> disagree with.
>
> Yes, it's somewhat safer than most of the others, but it is *not*
> risk-free. Moreover taking any risk for something as useless as
> registry cleaning is a very bad bargain.
>
>
>
>> And if they get a new laptop with Win7
>> The sleep mode works great with laptops
>> I hardly ever shut mine off.
>> I close the lid, open it, in seconds I get my login prompt put in my
>> password and I'm good to go.
>>
>> Also win7 will boot faster.
>> However "UPGRADE" Doesn't solve many issues
>> Probably too much #@$#$ loaded
>> on startup like Updates and toolbars (How many toolbars does one need?)
>>
>> Russ
>>
>> --
>> Russell Grover - SBITS.Biz [SBS-MVP]
>> Microsoft Gold Certified Partner
>> Microsoft Certified Small Business Specialist
>> 24hr SBS Remote Support - www.SBITS.Biz
>> Need A Second Opinion? www.PersonalITConsultant.com
>> Free Trial Microsoft Online Services - www.Microsoft-Online-Services.com
>>
>>
>> "Ken Blake, MVP" <> wrote in message
>> news:...
>> > On Wed, 3 Feb 2010 13:58:20 -0000, "KRK"
>> > <> wrote:
>> >
>> >> Hello,
>> >>
>> >> I have a Toshiba laptop with 2Gb Ram, running Vista. I have no major
>> >> problems, but my pc does seem to take a long time to start up
>> >
>> >
>> > My personal view is that the attention many people pay to how long it
>> > takes to boot is unwarranted. Assuming that the computer's speed is
>> > otherwise satisfactory, it is not generally worth worrying about. Most
>> > people start their computers once a day or even less frequently. In
>> > the overall scheme of things, even a few minutes to start up isn't
>> > very important. Personally I power on my computer when I get up in the
>> > morning, then go get my coffee. When I come back, it's done booting. I
>> > don't know how long it took to boot and I don't care.
>> >
>> > However if you do want to address it, it may be because of what
>> > programs start automatically, and you may want to stop some of them
>> > from starting that way. On each program you don't want to start
>> > automatically, check its Options to see if it has the choice not to
>> > start (make sure you actually choose the option not to run it, not
>> > just a "don't show icon" option). Many can easily and best be stopped
>> > that way. If that doesn't work, run MSCONFIG from the Start | Run
>> > line, and on the Startup tab, uncheck the programs you don't want to
>> > start automatically.
>> >
>> > However, if I were you, I wouldn't do this just for the purpose of
>> > running the minimum number of programs. Despite what many people tell
>> > you, you should be concerned, not with how *many* of these programs
>> > you run, but *which*. Some of them can hurt performance severely, but
>> > others have no effect on performance.
>> >
>> > Don't just stop programs from running willy-nilly. What you should do
>> > is determine what each program is, what its value is to you, and what
>> > the cost in performance is of its running all the time. You can get
>> > more information about these with google searches and asking about
>> > specifics here.
>> >
>> > Once you have that information, you can make an intelligent informed
>> > decision about what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >> and to load /
>> >> run large files, and sometimes seems to go into a coma.
>> >
>> >
>> > To me, those are much more significant issues.
>> >
>> >
>> >> I use CCleaner and
>> >
>> >
>> > What do you do with CCleaner? In my view, it's a good program as long
>> > as you do *not* use its registry cleaning feature.
>> >
>> > Registry cleaning programs are *all* snake oil. Cleaning of the
>> > registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry alone and
>> > don't use any registry cleaner. Despite what many people think, and
>> > what vendors of registry cleaning software try to convince you of,
>> > having unused registry entries doesn't really hurt you.
>> >
>> > The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
>> > removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit
>> > it may have.
>> >
>> > Read http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000643.html
>> >
>> >
>> >> Defraggler, and I uninstall/delete anything that I dont need. But my
>> >> pc
>> >> does
>> >> seem to be struggling sometimes.
>> >>
>> >> I could add another 2Gb Ram,
>> >
>> >
>> > How much RAM you need for good performance is *not* a
>> > one-size-fits-all situation. You get good performance if the amount of
>> > RAM you have keeps you from using the page file significantly, and
>> > that depends on what apps you run. Most people running a typical range
>> > of business applications under XP find that somewhere around 512MB
>> > works well, others need more. Almost anyone will see poor performance
>> > with less than 256MB. Some people, particularly those doing things
>> > like editing large photographic images, can see a performance boost by
>> > adding even more than 512MB--sometimes much more.
>> >
>> > If you are currently using the page file significantly, more memory
>> > will decrease or eliminate that usage, and improve your performance.
>> > If you are not using the page file significantly, more memory will do
>> > nothing for you. Go to
>> > http://billsway.com/notes%5Fpublic/winxp%5Ftweaks/ and download
>> > WinXP-2K_Pagefile.zip and monitor your page file usage. That should
>> > give you a good idea of whether more memory can help, and if so, how
>> > much more.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >> or I could upgrade to Windows 7 (which I read
>> >> has much lower overheads ?? ) .
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > The worst time to do an upgrade is when you are having problems. With
>> > problems, upgrading is more likely to exacerbate the problems than to
>> > cure them.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >> Or perhaps I should buy a new PC ?
>> >
>> >
>> > Wow! That's a very extreme step to take. Although it would probably
>> > solve your problem, my guess is that, since you wouldn't know what
>> > caused the problem, you would quickly repeat the behavior that caused
>> > it and find yourself back where you started.
>> >
>> >
>> >> My question is, how do I decide what the best route is ??
>> >
>> >
>> > Perhaps the most common cause of poor performance these days is
>> > malware infection, and your first step should be to make sure you are
>> > not infected. What anti-virus and anti-spyware programs do you run?
>> > Are they kept up to date?
>> >
>> > --
>> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
>> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>
> --
> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
> Please Reply to the Newsgroup